At Walpole High School, with the arrival of Spring, comes the mass hysteria that is “Senior Assassins.”  In the Senior Assassins contest, each registered participant is delegated a specified target amongst their peers.  The goal of Senior Assassins is for one to soak their target for each round while avoiding being “assassinated.”  Of course to avoid becoming a free-for-all, Senior Assassins is anchored by a sizable list of rules.  Most notably, hits must not be made during the school day and every soaking must have a witness.  At the end of the year, the last members of the graduating class to be soaked with water will earn the cash prize and endless bragging rights that come with winning such a prestigious event.

 

Alright, so maybe the aforementioned prestige of the bragging rights has been somewhat exaggerated.  However, the cash prize attached to conquering Senior Assassins is as material as anything.  When asked why he chose to participate in Senior Assassins, senior Rob Shield said, “For me, its all about the competition.  I couldn’t set my sights on the money because, at the end of the day, I know I’m not that sneaky.”  While Shield continuously showed a lack of confidence in advancing into the latter rounds of Senior Assassins, senior Jeff Dixon showcased the opposite attitude.  When asked about his first target, whose identity could obviously not be revealed, Dixon said, “Compared to me, she’s a nobody.  This is going to be cake.”  Also conversely to Shield, Dixon feels as though Senior Assassins is more than a silly game saying, “Some people may think Senior Assassins is about kids trying to get each other wet, but there is more than that on the line.  You can make some big money.”

 

While it has yet to be determined whether Dixon’s early confidence will be beneficial or harmful in the long run, there is no denying that he comes from a winning pedigree.  2010 co-winner Pat Dixon is the older brother and assassinating role model of Jeff Dixon.  When asked what it took to outlast the rest of one’s classmates and leave WHS as a winner, Pat Dixon replied, “The first thing you have to do is find out who has you.  Be watchful of someone following you or looking at you funny.  You also have to switch up your routine so they don’t know where you are.  You also can’t tell anyone who you have or you will be discovered.  It takes integrity, perseverance, and relentlessness to be a true assassin.”  Pat was undoubtedly a great assassin, but as a junior, I must acknowledge my confusion based on the requirement of “integrity.”  At the end of the day, all one must do is soak someone else with water; it can’t be that much of a challenge – right?

 

Many seniors believe the “preseason” favorite for the winner of Senior Assassins 2011 is without the slightest doubt, Peter Conroy.  He is more of an outdoors-man than Charlie Moore.  Although it has yet to be proven in a tournament involving water pistols, many say he has the most accurate shot this side of the Mississippi.  Needless to say, Pete is the last person any person would ever want to see stalking their front porch with a super-soaker.  For the survival of many seniors in the tournament, some have also requested to Sarah Buckley, the student coordinator of Senior Assassins, that she pit Dave Conroy against his brother Peter.  Most believe that the only way to eliminate Pete from the tournament is to give an AK-47 super soaker to someone who lives under the same roof.

 

With predictions and speculation put aside, the mere excitement of Senior Assassins has taken over Walpole High during its commencement stages.  For those investing their time and effort in Senior Assassins, observing the flooding Twitter Timelines and Facebook News Feeds with periodical updates has become a staple of daily life, along with countless other safety procedures.  Senior Jimmy Adams described some of the cautions he has practiced in order to remain dry, “Every morning I have my brother Johnny back the car into the garage for me.  There is no chance I would take the risk of walking 30 feet to my car.”  This may seem extreme to some, but Adams is known around the school as one of the most prolific back stabbing seniors.  Fortunately for Adams, this deceitful strategy may be the key ingredient of success in Senior Assassins.

 

It is a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless that the high school experience is slowly fading for seniors.  With graduation one month away and many adult choices looming on the horizon, it is no wonder why the seniors at Walpole High School passionately and cathartically embrace the childish distraction of Senior Assassin.  To quote “Friday Night Lights”, all that is left from here is “babies and memories.”  Alright, this is not 1988 Odessa, Texas, and college is on the horizons of many students, but the bottom line is that Senior Assassins is an exciting alternative to XBOX 360 and watching re-runs of “Bones.”